Watch the Magic of Coffee Brewed on Hot Sand

How many ways can you think of to brew a cup of coffee? In the old days (of, like, 1987), I could have probably come up with one: a coffeemaker. But nowadays, the possibilities are endless: pour-over, French press, AeroPress. I could go on.

Here’s one more technique to add to the list: hot sand brewing. In the video above, shot in Aqaba, Jordan, a vendor uses heated sand to boil the water for Turkish coffee. The clip has gone viral, partially because some people think it looks like the coffee is magically emerging from beneath the sand grains. In fact, the sand is used to heat the coffee, which then boils up to the top.

For those who haven’t seen it before, brewing coffee in hot sand is not entirely uncommon, especially in the Middle East. It could even be an emerging trend. New York City’s Death Ave recently added a Greek hot sand brewing system called hovoli, and you can buy smaller hovoli systems for your home. Now that would be a way to rock some serious hipster coffee cred.